The story also states that many of Madagascar's 47 types of rosewood and more than 100 ebony species are threatened with extinction.

Although musical instrument manufacture accounts for only a tiny percentage of annual timber harvests in comparison to wood used for furniture and industrial purposes, some of the most highly-prized tonewoods that used to be commonplace in guitar construction are now scarce or endangered.

Brazilian rosewood, for example, was Gibson's fretboard material of choice for decades, but since it was CITES-listed in 1992, trade in anything other than old-growth material harvested pre-1992 (or obtained from stumps left over from trees felled before the ban) is illegal.

According to The Independent, Gibson is currently working with Greenpeace to source sustainable alternatives. Recent product launches such as the 2011 Melody Maker series have seen the company utilise more eco-friendly but less traditional materials such as torrefied maple.

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